### 19

You place one hand around the blacksmith’s ruined throat and the other on his chest. You draw upon your powers and transfer the healing warmth of your Kai Discipline into the dying man. His eyes flicker open and he mouths a warning with blood-flecked lips: ‘Beware the ghouls!’ His eyes glaze over and his agony comes to an abrupt end. He is dead.

You lay his head upon the blood drenched floor and lower his eyelids. Now your mind is flooded with unanswered questions. Why was he savagely murdered? What kind of beast is capable of such cold-bloodied slaughter? Where is Anseng? Is he still alive or has he, too, met a grisly end?

Galvanised into action by what has happened here, you race down the stairs and mount your horse. Quickly you bring her around to face the open doors and ride out into the pouring rain. The fresh tracks from the Blacksmithy lead you along the paved road until you reach the northern perimeter of the village. Here they leave the highway and veer due east towards the Nagah Forest. A narrow woodsman’s trail snakes its way through the Chai pines and the tracks can clearly be seen in its muddy surface. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning that this dense forest harbours an evil presence. You rein in your horse and scan the surrounding trees. At once you detect an ambush has been prepared and several evil creatures are lying in wait for you on the trail ahead.

If you wish to turn around and leave the forest, go to 218.

If you decide to continue along the trail, knowing that to do so will trigger the ambush, turn to 262.